


The Chosen One

by out_of_nowhere



Series: A Burning Sky story [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Dragon Riders, M/M, Sexuality Crisis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22071610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/out_of_nowhere/pseuds/out_of_nowhere
Summary: A young blacksmith accidentally imprints a young queen dragon. His entire way of life is changed to become a dragon rider. He must also learn to lead, all while having his sexuality quietly challenged by the handsome Lord of the dragon riders.Tags updated as I post.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: A Burning Sky story [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1588687
Comments: 10
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written as a piece of fan fiction, but as only the names of the characters were taken from real life, I've changed them, done some editing and am reposting it as original work. I'll be doing a final edit of a new chapter every couple days, so you can expect regular updates.
> 
> Please consider it to be under review until the final post. 💗

The extraordinarily tall dragon rider gazed at the ruby Queen rider candidates, his gray eyes filled with apprehension. The previous Queen dragon had died after laying this clutch-following her rider and rider's Lair mate perishing in an accident shortly after mating, so whichever woman the new Queen chose would be ruler of the dragon riders, and potentially Alaric's new mate.

The problem was that he wasn't attracted to any of the candidates. They were all very pretty girls, but he was gay. Bisexuality, and to a lesser extent homosexuality, was very common and perfectly acceptable among the lesser dragon riders-cobalts and emeralds were fairly indiscriminate about the genders of their riders, but bronze riders had thus far always been straight men and Queen riders were always straight women. 

Alaric had no idea how he had been chosen. When he tried to ask his dragon, Hagan, why he chose him, Hagan had simply said Alaric was meant to be his rider. There was no arguing with the sometimes cryptic nature of dragons, so after a while he had dropped it.

Alaric's sexuality hadn't been an issue with the old Queen and so he had kept quiet about it. She was much older and already had an established mate after years of breeding. Nothing had been expected of him. With her passing and the imminent hatching of a new Queen, Alaric was the current dragon Lord regent and was expected to become Lord official when the new Queen rose to mate. He had the biggest, strongest, fastest bronze dragon, plus he was level headed and well liked among the riders, so it made sense that he had been elected regent. 

If only he was into women, even a little. It would not look good for him, or be good for dragonkind, if his dragon took no interest in the Queen's flight. Alaric hoped that in the two or so years it took a Queen to mature enough to mate that maybe he could develop enough of a personal relationship with whichever young girl was chosen, that he would be able to stomach the mating and encourage Hagan to fly. 

All of the lesser eggs had hatched and now the crowd that had gathered in the hatching cave were waiting for the new Queen to make her appearance and choose her rider. After what seemed like a lot of rocking and humming, the egg was finally ripped open. 

The young queen looked around at the young and hopeful faces surrounding her. Seemingly unhappy, she turned to the crowd and let out a loud screech. The crowd of commoners, along with the chosen candidates, held their breath and took a collective step back. The young queen was stumbling, trying to make her way to the crowd, now making a mixture of anxious keening and reassuring croons.

Alaric, along with many others, gasped in surprise as a young man, probably around 25 years old, tall, and dark haired rushed to the side of the flailing hatchling. The first ever man had just impressed a Queen. Alaric's head was reeling, and when alarmed deep cobalt eyes shined up and met his, all of his functions stopped.

▪▪▪▪▪

Alaric strode quickly out the Hatching cave and toward his personal dwelling. He needed a moment before heading to the hatchlings and addressing the new riders. The Queen had impressed on a man. An incredibly attractive man. Notably this could be great news for Alaric, but it could also be bad news for the new rider. The man was a commoner and they tended not to have the same ideals about sexuality as dragon riders did. Most bisexual or gay men saught refuge in the Lair around adolescence, when they realized they didn't want the traditional marriage that was most common outside of Dragon Rider society. 

But this man appeared in his mid twenties, well past puberty, so he presumably wasn't attracted to men. If the Queen chose his bronze as her mate, at least the first time, Alaric could try to make the experience as enjoyable as possible, but when a dragon mated, hormones were high and their riders were swept up in the moment-perfectly aware but not very much in control. For Alaric, that would mean he could easily go along with the mating, just not find it enjoyable. Plus he would be absolutely miserable with his mate until the next time the Queen rose to mate. His experience with straight commoners told him that being forced into gay sex might mentally ruin them. 

And he was certain none of the other riders would do anything but go along for the ride, regardless of potential emotional or physical damage done to the Queen's rider. They were all good men, just...more susceptible to the thrill of a mating flight. Fortunately, as Lord regent, Alaric would be in charge of the new rider's training. Maybe he convince the man he was truly the best fit, for leading and for him. 

_ It really is a shame this new rider is probably straight _ , Alaric thought to himself. He was incredibly attractive. Not as tall as himself-at 6' 5" no one was-but he was probably a solid 6' tall. With broad shoulders, a trim waist, and just enough muscle to not be simply skinny, plus the dark hair and those  _ eyes.  _ They were deep enough to sink into. Yes, it was a definite shame. 

Alaric looked around his quarters before settling himself on his bed. Gender being irrelevant, Queens so rarely chose someone from a non-rider bred family. So now Alaric was going to have to deal with either a straight or closeted, non-rider bred man, teach him the ways of the Lair, and hope he was able to handle the pressure of leadership in roughly two years. 

Alaric groaned and rubbed his hand over his face, lingering on the red hair of the beard he was starting to let fill in. When emerald and sapphire dragons chose people born outside of the Lair for their rider, there was enough of an adjustment period. He was afraid that the transition to Lair leadership could go either very well or very badly with the new Queen's rider. 

But now Alaric needed to go down to the hatchling caverns and address the new riders. Let the heavens guide him.

▪▪▪▪▪

Alaric assessed the room. Three emerald riders, one amethyst rider, two sapphire riders, two brown riders, two bronze riders, and the cobalt eyed beauty who was the Queen's rider. Not enough dragons to fill town requests, but maybe the young Queen would lay larger clutches when she got old enough. 

His gaze lingered on the brown riders for a moment. He never knew whether to feel sorry or envious of them. Brown dragons were too small to pursue queens, but they were too big to have any real interest in the small emerald or amethyst dragons. They typically never found a true mate, instead being delegated to the more rural and outlying areas. The bonus for them was that the prestige they carried being a dragon rider meant their beds were rarely empty. 

The Queen's rider wasn't making eye contact, instead focusing on his dragon. Hatchlings were about the size of a three year old child, so her head was at perfect height for settling in his lap as he whispered to her, stroking her head lovingly. Alaric was almost envious of the small dragon for a moment, but shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. 

"Congratulations, new riders," Alaric began, his deep voice easily carrying through the cavern. "Now that you've impressed on a dragon, you must be aware of the responsibility that comes with it. Young dragons are playful and impulsive. It's important to be their voice of reason. 

"The bond between you and your dragon, as strong as it feels right now, will only grow deeper with time. Remember that we recently lost our reigning Queen because her rider died. If something happens to you, we lose the dragon, too. If you lose your dragon, while it won't kill you, you will wish for death. The mental bond between dragon and rider is the strongest on earth. Don't take it for granted. 

"Classes to help you learn to care for your new stead will begin in a few days. For now, keep them full, bathe and oil their coats daily as their skin is akin to living leather, and dote on them. Give them lots of scratches, rubs, and cuddling. They are very affectionate creatures and I promise you'll miss the cuddling in a few months when they've grown too big."

Alaric paused for a moment, smiling at the memory of when his own dragon was still a manageable size. "Now let's go around the room and introduce ourselves. Give your name, dragon color, how long you've lived in the Lair, and something personal about yourself."

He was glad he basically knew all the new riders and could only pay cursory attention while watching the Queen's rider out of the corner of his eye. He had seemed nervous at the mention of introductions and Alaric hoped that by beginning with the lesser dragons he would have time to collect his thoughts before his turn. 

At last Alaric was able to focus his attention on the new Queen rider. He had appeared to begin to relax until Alaric looked at him, only seeming to be able to maintain eye contact for a few moments before dropping them to the ground or back to his dragon's. Alaric hoped that was just a sign of an eventful day and not a personality trait. Meek leaders were never good for the Lair. 

When a minute went by without the man speaking, Alaric knew he'd have to do something to encourage him. He stuck his hand out in offering and said, "I don't think we've ever met. I'm the current dragon Lord regent, Alaric."

"Landon," the man finally named himself, grasping Alaric's hand firmly. 

That was good, Alaric thought. At least he had a solid handshake. Maybe the eye aversion really was just nerves.

"Welcome, Landon." He tried to give Landon a reassuring smile. "We obviously know you're the new Queen's rider and you have just today joined the Lair, so why don't you tell us something about yourself?"

"Okay…" He absentmindedly continued stroking his Queen's head. "I was born not a half days travel from the Lair, so have had a few interactions with dragon riders. I'm a blacksmith by trade. And I love horses, especially small ones." He glanced at Alaric, silently asking if he had shared enough. 

Alaric nodded. "Thank you, everyone, for sharing. Congratulations again on being chosen by your dragon! If you haven't already, check in with the Hatchling Advisor for your new room assignments." 

Landon continued to sit there, looking apprehensive, as everyone else filed out of the room. "Landon?" Alaric broke into his thoughts. "Would you mind coming with me?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." He stood up and appeared to be having a quick word with his dragonette before turning his attention back to Alaric. 

"What's her name?" Alaric asked. 

"Cerra," Landon replied, gazing down fondly at her. 

"That's a beautiful name," Alaric directed his reply to her. The small dragon made a pleased cooing noise in response. 

"So, Landon," Alaric said, now addressing the man beside him, "what do you know of Lair life?"

"Admittedly, not a lot," he said sheepishly. "I know the Queen's rider and her mate are essentially the rulers of dragon society."

"Landon," Alaric really didn't want to ask this question, but he needed to know in order to determine how much of a struggle it was going to be to make him comfortable in the Lair. "Are you gay? Or even bisexual?" Landon's entire face turned red. "I'm sorry to have to ask, but I'm sure you've realized all the bronze riders are men?" 

Landon nodded. "I haven't met all the riders yet, but I have never heard of a female bronze rider, so I assumed you're all male. And...I'm straight." He was blushing furiously and avoiding eye contact again. 

Alaric sighed deeply. "I was afraid of that." They arrived at a door and as Alaric opened it he gestured to Landon. "These are my quarters. Yours are adjacent to mine and they're connected by a door." He led Landon to the sitting area and sat in one of the chairs. "Obviously that was meant to be a convenience since usually after a couple mating flights the Queen and her rider tend to settle on a permanent mate."

Landon had chosen the seat perpendicular to Alaric so they could be next to each other, but not have to be awkward to make eye contact. "I don't really have a choice in this, do I?" 

Alaric could tell Landon was very bothered by this prospect. "No, unfortunately, you don't. There's a type of spell of sorts that a rider falls under during a flight. You retain your awareness, but have very little control over your body. I'm told if you let yourself succumb to the sensation, it's the most phenomenal thing you will ever experience. But if you don't choose a mate, your dragon will. Then you are at the mercy of the other rider for what your experience will be. I know this is not what you want to be told, but your best option is to at least befriend one of the bronze riders so when the time comes you have some kind of connection and it won't be too terrible for you."

Landon stared at his hands a moment, twisting them around in his lap before looking up at Alaric. "You say 'bronze riders' like you aren't one. You're the Lord regent, aren't you? You're who everyone thinks will be Lord proper after the next mating flight, right?"

It was Alaric's turn to blush. "Well, yes. You are correct. But I'm not going to use my station to influence your decision. Up until Cerra mates I'm in charge. After that, it's up to the two of you." He shrugged. 

"Do you not want to stay Lord?" Landon asked, curious. 

"Honestly, I don't know," Alaric answered truthfully. "I've only been in this position for a few weeks. How stressful it is, along with how well you and I get along, will go a long way to my decision of if I want to remain Lord longterm. I have the biggest and fastest bronze, but I'm not a power hunter, Landon. If you end up hating me, Hagan and I will give a cursory showing, as it will be expected of us, but I won't fight for it."

"Oh, okay," Landon said, considering Alaric's words. "Well I don't hate you yet, so that must be good news?"

Alaric chuckled. "That makes it easier to keep my options open. You need to realize though, Landon, other riders will not hold back. If you don't have a clear decision in your head by then, they will fight for it just for the power of being Lord. I'm not trying to scare you, just prepare you." He watched as Landon's leg was nervously bouncing up and down. He reached his hand forward and gently placed it on Landon's bouncing leg. "But hey, you've got two, maybe even three years before that happens. No need to stress about it today." He squeezed Landon's knee reassuringly then pulled it back, leaving him to his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the colors of most of the dragons, but it will be easy enough to figure out.

The next morning Alaric walked into the dining cavern carrying his breakfast. He did a quick scan of the mostly empty room and saw Landon sitting alone, except for Cerra who was curled up under his feet, humming a content tune to herself. 

"How was your night?" Alaric asked as he sat down across the table from him. 

"Pretty good, actually," Landon answered. He had been surprised by how comfortable the bed had been. It was huge, big enough to accommodate himself and the small Queen for the time being. 

Alaric chuckled. "You sound surprised."

Landon had to focus on not blushing. He didn't know what it was about the man who was tall enough to make him feel short, but Landon would swear he just had to look at him to induce a blush. It was embarrassing. And made him want to blush more. "I guess when you grow up thinking the Lair is just this big cave, you get surprised at how much more it has to offer."

"Hmmm," Alaric replied, thoughtfully. "Link, I told the others that they have a few days before classes start, and that applies to you as well. I was wondering, though, since you're new to the Lair, if you'd like a guide. I could show you around, make sure you know where everything is. If you want me to, that is."

Landon considered it. Alaric had been nothing but polite and friendly since they had met. Landon had initially been concerned that the Lord regent was going to be pushy, telling him how things were going to be and he would have to accept it. He had heard that the man was intimidating. And he was. He had a quiet confidence about him that combined with the incredulous height, definitely made him a person to behold. But Landon felt safe and comfortable with him, so he accepted the offer. 

"That sounds good. Thank you." 

▪▪▪▪▪

"So, do you have any siblings?" Alaric asked as they traveled the hallways on his tour of the Lair. 

"No, I'm an only child," Landon replied. "My dad...left when I was young and it was mostly my mom and I."

"How did you get into blacksmithing, then?" Alaric asked. 

"One of our neighbors bred horses. I spent most of my time as a young boy in their barn and fields. Their blacksmith only had daughters, so he agreed to let me apprentice. I really liked my job. I always thought I'd be doing it until I was old and my back couldn't handle it anymore." Landon was almost wistful as he talked about it. 

Alaric gave him a sympathetic tic smile. "Are you going to miss it that much?"

"I don't know," Landon considered. "I definitely enjoyed it, but now I can't imagine being anything other than Cerra's rider. Even if I don't really know what that means for me yet," he chuckled. 

"Well, that's what I'm here for," Alaric assured him. "To teach you the traditional roles and help you find your place here."

Landon contemplated again how easily Alaric's smile put him at ease. But before getting too deep in his thoughts, he felt a nagging sense of hunger in his peripheral consciousness. Alaric must have caught the look on his face because he simply looked at him and asked "Cerra?"

Landon nodded with a smile. "She's hungry. Again."

"No problem." Alaric changed the direction they were walking and they made their way back to the kitchen for a bucket of scraps the cooks always had on hand for hatchlings. 

"Would you like me to take the two of you to the lake this afternoon so you can bathe her?" Alaric asked when they got back to Landon's quarters with Cerra's snack. "Hagan is probably due for a scrubbing, too. I can show you the tricks to getting some of their deeper crevices clean," he offered. 

"That would be really helpful," Landon said, throwing a piece of hardened bread in Cerra's mouth. "Thank you, Alaric."

"Of course. Even though it is sort of in my job description," Alaric chuckled teasingly. 

Landon laughed in return. "All the same, you've been very nice and helpful and I appreciate it. I was kinda terrified yesterday when I heard Cerra call to me in my head. I knew dragons were telepathic, and obviously I was at a hatching, but I didn't put it together for a minute. Then when I did…" his voice trailed off as he stared at the floor. 

"Like I said, you've been so nice, but I'm terrified of what being chosen by Cerra means for me, long term. I've never even considered being with a man before," Landon said, whispering the last part. 

Alaric sighed quietly. "I know it's a lot to take in. The feeling of impression, being forced to move to a foreign place, being made to question your sexuality. I had thought I'd impress a brown like my older brother. I mean, I'm gay. I have zero interest in women. Why in the world would a bronze dragon choose a man with no interest of procreating with the opposite sex?" Alaric laughed at the irony. "Then, a Queen chooses a male rider and consarn it if he's not straight. Even on the off chance Cerra lays another queen egg early in her life, my sexual choices have become force myself to be with someone I don't want or force you to do something you don't want."

Landon stared intently at Alaric for a moment before smirking, "So does that mean you want me?"

"What?!" Alaric asked in shock. "That's not! I wasn't-what I meant was-!"

Landon cut him off, laughing hysterically. "I'm sorry, man. That was a cheap shot. But the look on your face! Whew!" Landon wiped the tears from his eyes as Alaric continued looking at him in disbelief. 

"Look, Rhett, let's go eat some lunch, you can finish your tour of the Lair, then we'll go bathe the dragons like you suggested. Okay? I really am sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Landon pleaded forgiveness to Alaric with his eyes. 

Alaric swallowed loudly. "Yeah. Sure. Of course. And it's fine. I didn't mean it to come across like that anyway. Let's-let's go eat."

▪▪▪▪▪

As they sat across the table from each other in the dining cavern, Alaric felt the need to speak up. "Hey, I just wanted to reiterate what I said yesterday." Landon raised his eyebrows at him in question. "I won't do anything you're uncomfortable with. And not just sex, although that's the big one. But anything. I...may regret telling you this, but yes, you're an attractive guy. So if anything I do makes you uncomfortable, let me know. I may think I'm just being friendly or not realize-"

Landon held his hand up to stop him. "You have done nothing but make me feel comfortable and welcome, I promise. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made that joke. I know we just met, and our relationship could potentially get awkward, but my gut tells me to relax and trust you. So until you give me a reason not to, that's what I'm gonna do."

Alaric let out the breath he had been holding. "Yeah?" Landon nodded. "Friends?" he asked, hopefully. 

Landon extended his hand across the table. "Friends." Alaric accepted Landon's hand with a smile, ignoring the small flutter starting in his stomach. 

▪▪▪▪▪

The rest of the afternoon showing Landon around was spent in much greater ease. Like a switch had been flipped and now they were friends. Simple as that. 

After showing Landon the necessary parts of the Lair, and feeding Cerra at least twice more, they were finally headed down to the lake. Cerra plodded along beside Landon, her belly full from her recent meal, while Hagan flew overhead. 

Landon gazed up, watching in awe as Hagan glided back and forth in the sky. "He's so...majestic," Landon uttered quietly. "Do you think Cerra will get as large as he is?"

Alaric looked up lovingly at Hagan. "Traditionally the Queen is bigger than the bronzes. Hagan is significantly larger than the other bronzes, though. I think we'll just have to see how Cerra grows. And who knows, maybe one of the two bronzes who hatched yesterday will end up bigger than Hagan."

"But if they don't, I guess that means I'm stuck with you," Landon teased, elbowing Alaric in the side. Alaric glanced down sideways at Landon before rolling his eyes. Landon caught just a twinge of a smile before he looked out to watch Hagan land in the lake. 

"Okay, my little Queen," Alaric spoke sweetly to Cerra, "time to get wet!" Cerra gave a squeal of delight and dove into the water, leaving both men on the shore chuckling. 

"Alright, time to strip down and get in there," Alaric said, getting down to his underwear. "Hagan, and most dragons, love water so I usually give him a minute to dive, splash, play, whatever he's going to do before I get in. I'd swim with him when he was small, but past a certain size you can accidentally get pulled under pretty easily."

Landon nodded, also down to his underwear. Alaric had to focus on Landon's face and not let his eyes wander. The man was gorgeous everywhere, as fit and muscular as Alaric imagined he would be. His previous profession definitely showed in his arms, shoulders, and back. 

When the two dragons seemed to settle down from their antics, Alaric grabbed his bathing sack and motioned to Landon to follow him. "Now you and Cerra will probably develop your own routine, but I like to start at his nose and work my way back."

Hagan, knowing the drill hovered his head just out of the water for Alaric to soap and scrub up. Cerra swam over and watched with interest as the large dragon was bathed. " _ The small Queen is very amusing,"  _ Hagan thought to Alaric. 

" _ Oh? Good amusing or annoying amusing?" _ Alaric thought back. Sometimes Alaric was very glad dragons mostly only spoke to their riders through their telepathy. They didn't tend to have a filter and would say whatever was on their mind. Now, in front of Landon and the new Queen, Alaric was extra thankful for the private method of communication. 

_ "Good amusing, I suppose." _ Hagan replied. " _ She's so full of wonder at the simplest thing. I'm so glad I was never that naive." _

Alaric snorted and Landon looked at him, questioning. Alaric rolled his eyes at Hagan. "Big boy here likes Cerra."

"Oh." Landon had begun scrubbing up the small Queen, copying what Alaric was doing. "Can I ask you something?" he asked nervously. 

"Of course," Alaric assured him. "Anything."

"I just wanted to clarify something you said before." Alaric waited patiently while Landon gathered his question. "The dragons, their preference will mirror their rider's, correct?"

"Yeeees," Alaric drawled out, "although that's not what I was referring to. Dragons have preferred friends like people do. Other...preferences develop after puberty. That's why if you make a choice as to who you want as mate-or at least short term partner-it will make things easier on you, if not entirely pleasant. The dragon will relinquish mating preference to that of its rider. Although, typically, it seems that the dragons develop their own bond. I imagine the dragon/rider bond affects the dragon/dragon bond."

"That makes sense," Landon said, as he continued to scrub.

Landon was done cleaning Cerra much sooner than Alaric was with Hagan, given their substantial size difference, so he helped finish the job on Hagan. 

"Now, oiling after a bath is super important," Alaric explained. "Cracks in growing skin can get infected easily. Once she's grown you can get away with a bath and oiling once or twice a week, more only if they get dirty. For now, though, oiling  _ must _ be a daily thing and bathing every couple days at least."

"Got it. I'm glad she hatched now that it's starting to warm up and not in winter. That would have made bathing most unpleasant," Landon observed. 

Alaric smirked to himself. Landon's complete lack of dragon knowledge was almost cute. "Actually, they're mostly seasonal breeders. They will almost always mate in late winter and early spring so that the major growth spurts happen in the summertime. Although, I know where a hidden hot spring is. If you're good, I'll show it to you when the weather cools off," he said, giving Landon a wink.

Landon laughed as he worked the oil into Cerra's soft, leathery skin. "Sounds good, man. I look forward to it."

▪▪▪▪▪

Alaric knocked at the door to Landon's quarters an hour before dinner. "Good evening, Landon," he greeted him. 

"Good evening?" Landon raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know things got more formal after sundown."

"That's why I'm glad I caught you. Dinners are a slightly more formal affair. We don't have guests tonight so protocol is a little more lax, but I need to prepare you."

Landon furrowed his brows. "Prepare me?"

"Yes, Landon. You missed dinner last night with all your excitement, as is perfectly normal, but from here on out whether you attend or don't, where you sit, it will all be observed and commented upon. Since you unattached, you may sit anywhere at the head table. As Lord regent I am directly at the head of that table. Traditionally the Lady would sit directly to my right. Obviously, you aren't a Lady," Landon blushed at the observation, "but as Queen's rider, the spot is still yours."

"I can sit by you, that's fine," Landon said. 

"You need to understand all the implications first," Alaric continued explaining. "Like I was saying, since you're unattached, you may sit anywhere at the table. If you choose not to sit by my side, you are letting the other riders know you welcome to their...attention."

Landon crinkled his nose. "I guess it would depend on the type of attention."

"The kind of attention you're thinking," Alaric confirmed. 

"Ok, so I'll sit by you," Landon said again. 

"Sitting by me means that you accept my position as your...partner and that the other bronze riders need to be more discreet in their dealings with you. There's more to it if you wish to proclaim someone as your intended Lair mate, but we can save that for another time," Alaric explained. 

"And if I skip dinner?" Landon asked.

"You might be able to get away with it another night or two, but after that you'll be sending the message that you aren't comfortable here. Even though yes, you are the Queen's rider and top of the chain by default, I wouldn't recommend letting people think you don't want to be here. Dragons are docile by nature, but if an uprising were to happen among the ranks, it would be a bloodbath."

Landon stared into Alaric's eyes, and said, "So you're telling me that my choices are to tell the other riders I'm open for business, that I'm your bitch, or that I hate everyone here?"

Alaric grabbed his belly, bursting out laughing. "That's not exactly how I said it, but I guess it is a good way to put things. So, what's it going to be, bitch boy?" Alaric's eyes twinkled, letting Landon know he was kidding. 

▪▪▪▪▪

At dinner Landon sat at Alaric's side. But as easily as they were getting along, he still wasn't thrilled to feel like he was announcing that he wanted to be with Alaric. He certainly didn't want to field open advancements from others, though, so this seemed like the best path to take, and for the time being he wasn't complaining. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr as @outofnowhere82. It's mostly Rhett and Link and supernatural but I update about my fics and while most of it is fan fiction, I'm heavy on the au's.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated. 💗


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